History

Pro Football Hall of Fame

George Blanda, who came out of retirement with the emergence of the American Football League in 1960, was the offensive catalyst for the explosive Oiler squads of the early 1960s. He played quarterback and handled the placekicking chores in Columbia blue for seven of his NFL-record 26 seasons in the league. Blanda was the team’s leading passer and scorer in each of those seven seasons and still owns franchise records for most extra points (299), most touchdown passes in a season (36) and most touchdown passes in a game (7). He is also second in points scored with 596. The 36 scoring tosses stood as an NFL record for an astounding 23 years. Blanda’s NFL career records included most games (340), most points (2,002) and most extra points (943). He also passed for 236 touchdowns. But, perhaps most importantly to Oilers fans, Blanda captained the Oilers to two consecutive AFL titles in 1960 and 1961, earning AFL Player of the Year honors in 1961. Blanda’s career was divided into three distinct parts, 10 years with the Chicago Bears, seven seasons with the Houston Oilers and nine years with the Oakland Raiders. In 1970, he became the oldest quarterback to play in a title game. He was just a month shy of his 49th birthday when he retired before the 1976 season.